Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center

ROY
AND
DIANA
VAGELOS
EDUCATION
CENTER

Located on existing Columbia property on Haven Avenue between West 171st and West 172nd Streets, the 100,000 sf Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center unites students from all four schools of Columbia University’s Medical Center (Physicians & Surgeons, Nursing, Dental Medicine and the Mailman School of Public Health), as well as the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The building’s principal design strategy is the “Study Cascade”—a network of social and study spaces distributed across oversize landings along an intricate 14–story stair. The Study Cascade creates a single interconnected space the height of the building, stretching from the ground floor lobby to the top, and conducive to collaborative, team–based learning and teaching. The “Study Cascade” interiors are complemented by a distributed network of south–facing outdoor “rooms” and terraces clad with cement panels and wood. The fully–glazed “Study Cascade” is also an urban gesture which aims to become a visual landmark at the northern limit of Columbia University’s medical campus.

  • Aerial view
    Aerial view
  • View into the social and study spaces that comprise the study cascade
    View into the social and study spaces that comprise the study cascade
  • Lobby
    Lobby
  • Lobby stairway connecting to auditorium and simulation center below
  • 300-seat multi-purpose auditorium and exterior terrace
  • Anatomy lab
  • View onto tiered Study Cascade
  • View of Study Cascade from level 14 looking towards the Hudson River
  • Study lounge
  • Exterior terrace
  • Student Commons
  • Aerial with view of Hudson River
Project information
Location         The Roy and Diana Vagelos Education Center at Columbia University, New York, United States
    Photography by Iwan Baan and Nic Lehoux